The term “program” as used herein can be a commercial type (e.g. advertisement) and/or a non-commercial type (e.g. an entertainment show), and it involves a programming signal (e.g. a television signal) obtained from a program signal source (e.g. a television station), originated by a program provider (e.g. a television network, an advertiser, or a production company) and reproduced as audio and/or video. The “broadcast” of the program can be over the airwaves, cable, satellite, or any other signal transmission medium. An “audience” for such program reproduction is constituted of the persons who perceive the program.
The program is “performed” by any reproduction equipment which results in some form that is perceptible to human beings, the most common being video and audio. The “reproduction equipment” is any and all types of units to convert a broadcast signal into human perceptible form.
The audience can be described as being “tuned” to a specific program signal source, such as a TV or radio broadcast station. The word “tuned” is applied herein to all situations in which a person chooses to be an audience member of a program or programs being broadcast by that specific program signal source, such as by twisting a dial or operating a remote control device of a TV, for example, in order to set that TV so it can receive and perform the programs from that source.
The size of an audience can be important for any one of a number of reasons. For example, a TV show must have a minimum audience size in order to survive. It also affects advertising rates. TV and radio stations charge advertisers based on two variables, namely the number of people in the audience and the qualities of the viewers in the audience. Charges are based on a certain number of dollars per thousand viewers. It can cost an advertiser to broadcast a commercial on one TV show an amount several times what it would cost on another TV show. As regards the qualities of the audience, certain advertisers want to speak to young trendsetters, while other advertisers (e.g. drug companies) want to speak to older viewers or wealthier viewers (e.g. luxury car co.). To measure these audiences, national TV samples are taken daily in the seven largest U.S. cities for network shows only (approximately 4,000 to 5,000 homes are included in this sample). Paper and pencil diaries are used four times a year during 3-4-week measurement periods to measure the viewing habits in the 250 other large viewing markets. These four measurement periods are called “sweep weeks”, or “sweeps”. During this period of time, network and local stations make every attempt to boost their ratings. Prime movies are shown, plots for sitcoms are selected which are of maximum interest, and even newscasts carry special features. Another situation when it is valuable to entice viewers is when a programming change occurs, such as when the new season starts, when a replacement show is introduced or a change in the broadcast time of a program is made. If a show does not attract viewers within the first three weeks, it has to give refunds for lower audience counts to those advertisers that had commercials broadcast during that initial period. Therefore, audience size is important, for example, to producers of TV shows, to advertisers, and to the TV stations and networks who profit from the shows and the commercials.
The incentive for a person to watch, for example, a particular network TV show and thus become a member of its audience is, of course, that person's level of interest in the TV show in relation to the attractions of competing interests. Competing for that person's viewership are the other network TV shows then being broadcast, other forms of entertainment available in the house, such as cable TV and live radio programs, recorded audio/video programs, various types of entertainment available outside of the house, and of course a host of other activities. Program providers would find it advantageous to have some incentive, other than the program itself, for attracting a person away from all those competing entertainment and non-entertainment activities to tune into a specific program and thereby increase its audience size.
It would also be advantageous for the program provider to have an incentive that could keep the person from switching away from the program. Switching by the audience is undesirable because it reduces the person's exposure not only to the TV show but also to its commercials.
One type of incentive that is in wide usage for various purposes is to provide discount coupons for the purchase of products or services. For reasons of brevity and convenience, the ensuing discussion related to the present invention will refer to the incentives it provides as discount coupons or reward coupons, or just “rewards” for short.
When a reward is offered in exchange for some action by a person, the person's level of interest in obtaining the reward is proportional to the amount of time between the action and getting the reward. The highest level of interest is achieved when the reward is given promptly after the action.
Such a reward should have a number of characteristics. In particular, it should be made available at no inconvenience to the audience member, and it should be provided promptly (preferably immediately) after the person has met the requirements for getting the reward. It should be in a form that is convenient for the person to use for redeeming the reward, and it must have adequate value. It should also be easily controllable and modifiable by the program provider to be issued only when certain criteria are met.
No technique for issuing such rewards is available in the prior art despite the need for it.